The Great Australian Bake Off

The Great Australian Bake Off is an Australian television baking series that is based on the BBC baking competition The Great British Bake Off.

The series first premiered on 9 July 2013 on the Nine Network and ran for one season with presenters Shane Jacobson and Anna Gare and judges Dan Lepard and Kerry Vincent. On 1 April 2015, it was announced that the series had been picked up by pay television channel LifeStyle Food and production company FremantleMedia Australia for a second season which premiered on 13 October 2015 with presenters Claire Hooper and Mel Buttle and judges Maggie Beer and Matt Moran. Another three seasons aired on LifeStyle Food and LifeStyle between 2016 and 2019.

In December 2020, there was speculation the series was to be picked up by the Seven Network for its sixth season, however in March 2021, Foxtel was in “advanced discussions” for a series return. In June 2021, it was officially renewed by Foxtel with auditions open from June to 18 July 2021, with BBC Studios Australia taking over production from Fremantle Australia. The sixth season premiered on 27 January 2022.

On 4 August 2022, Foxtel announced a new-look seventh season had been commissioned, to air in 2023 with filming commencing in September. Maggie Beer, Matt Moran, Claire Hooper and Mel Buttle are departing the show, with new judges and hosts to be announced. On 30 August 2022 Foxtel revealed pastry chef Darren Purchese and culinary expert Rachel Khoo as the show's new judges, with comedians Cal Wilson and Natalie Tran to host. The seventh season premiered on 13 June 2023. Maggie Beer made a guest appearance in the seventh season. The eighth season, filmed earlier in 2023, will air in 2024 and will be the second and final appearance of Cal Wilson as host as she died in October 2023.

Format
The programme operates on a weekly elimination process to find the best all-round amateur baker from the contestants, where in each episode the bakers are tasked with 3 different challenges; a signature bake, a technical bake and a show-stopper. The bakes are critically examined by the judges who will then choose a "Star Baker" and a baker that is eliminated from the competition. Ten contestants were chosen for the first season, and twelve contestants were chosen for each subsequent season.


 * Signature Challenge: This challenge is for the amateur bakers to show off their tried-and-tested recipes that are rustic and altogether home-made-looking.
 * Technical Challenge: This challenge shows who can follow instructions, but who also has the technical knowledge and experience to produce the finished product. The bakers are all given the same recipe and are not told beforehand what the challenge will be. The finished product is ranked from worst to best, with the judges not knowing who produced which.
 * Showstopper Challenge: This challenge is for the bakers to show off their skills and talent. The judges are looking for a bake that is both of a professional appearance but also in taste.

Season 1 (2013)
Season 1 of The Great Australian Bake Off saw 10 home bakers take part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be crowned The Great Australian Bake Off's best amateur baker. Each episode saw bakers put through three challenges, with each episode having its own theme or discipline. The season aired from 9 July 2013 until 27 August 2013.

The three finalists were Jonathan Gurfinkel, Nancy Ho, Maria Vella. On 27 August 2013, Nancy Ho was selected as the best amateur baker.

Season 2 (2015)
Season 2 of The Great Australian Bake Off saw 12 home bakers take part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be crowned The Great Australian Bake Off's best amateur baker. Each episode saw bakers put through three challenges, with each episode having its own theme or discipline. The season aired from 13 October 2015 until 15 December 2015.

The three finalists were Jasmin Hartley, Sian Redgrave, and Suzy Stefanidis. On 15 December 2015, Sian Redgrave was selected as the best amateur baker.

Season 3 (2016)
Season 3 of The Great Australian Bake Off saw 12 home bakers take part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be crowned The Great Australian Bake Off's best amateur baker. Each episode saw bakers put through three challenges, with each episode having its own theme or discipline. The season aired from 11 October 2016 until 14 December 2016.

The three finalists were Monica Cavallaro, Antonio Marcona, and Olivia McMahon. On 13 December 2016, Olivia McMahon was selected as the best amateur baker.

Season 4 (2018)
Season 4 of The Great Australian Bake Off saw 12 home bakers take part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be crowned The Great Australian Bake Off's best amateur baker. Each episode saw bakers put through three challenges, with each episode having its own theme or discipline. The season aired from 18 January 2018 until 22 March 2018.

The three finalists were Claudia Anton, Barb Dunn, and Dave Yan. On 22 March 2018, Claudia Anton was selected as the best amateur baker.

Season 5 (2019)
Season 5 of The Great Australian Bake Off saw 12 home bakers take part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be crowned The Great Australian Bake Off's best amateur baker. Each episode saw bakers put through three challenges, with each episode having its own theme or discipline. The season aired from 3 October 2019 until 5 December 2019.

The three finalists were Subha Nasir Ahmad, David Hills, and Daniel Pasquali. On 5 December 2019, Subha Nasir Ahmad was selected as the best amateur baker.

Season 6 (2022)
Season 6 of The Great Australian Bake Off saw 12 home bakers take part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be crowned The Great Australian Bake Off's best amateur baker. Each episode saw bakers put through three challenges, with each episode having its own theme or discipline. The season aired from 27 January 2022 until 31 March 2022.

The three finalists were Aaron Hawton, Nurman Noor, and Ella Rossanis. On 31 March 2022, Ella Rossanis was selected as the best amateur baker.

Season 7 (2023)
Season 7 of The Great Australian Bake Off saw 12 home bakers take part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be crowned The Great Australian Bake Off's best amateur baker. Each episode saw bakers put through three challenges, with each episode having its own theme or discipline. The season aired from 13 June 2023 until 15 August 2023.

The three finalists were Laura Foo, Adam Miller, and Ilona Nicola. On 15 August 2023, Laura Foo was selected as the best amateur baker.